Category: Dessert – Brownies & Bars

Servings: —
Preheat: 325°
Cook Time: 50 min

Ingredients
1 Cup butter
½ cup xx sugar
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
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4 eggs
2 cups sugar
4 tbs flour
¼ cup lemon juice
½ lemon rind

3 qt glass baking dish

Directions
Mix butter, sugar, flour & salt. Press into pan.
Bake for 25 minutes at 325 degrees

Mix eggs, sugar, lemon & flour.
Bake 20-25 min at 325 degrees.

Cool on a rack, chill before cutting

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Source: The Gourmet Cookie Book

Ingredients
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 tablespoons instant espresso powder, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of boiling water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup salted roasted cashews, chopped

Directions
In a bowl with an electric mixer, cream the butter, add the brown sugar, and beat the mixture until it is light and fluffy. Beat in the yolk, add the vanilla and the espresso mixture, a little at a time, beating, and beat the mixture until it is combined well. Add the salt and the flour, beating, and beat the mixture until is combined well. Spread the batter evenly in a jelly-roll pan, 15% by 10% by 1 inch, and bake it in the middle of a preheated 350°F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or until it pulls away slightly from the edge of the pan.

Spread the chocolate, melted, evenly over the baked layer and sprinkle the cashews over it. Let the mixture cool in the pan on a rack, cut it into 48 bars, and chill it for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the chocolate is firm.

RECIPE NOTES

1. To offset the sweetness of these bars, we recommend substituting bittersweet chocolate for the semisweet.

2. Butter the pan, line it with two crisscrossed sheets off oil, and butter the foil.

Servings: 16 (2-inch) bars or 25 smaller bars
Preheat: 350°
Source: Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich
Tart lemon filling sits atop a crunchy cornmeal cookie, instead of rich shortbread crust. Superbly tart and tangy, which is just the way I like them.

Ingredients
FOR THE CRUST
2/3 cup (3 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (1.375 ounces) yellow cornmeal
Pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup (2.33 ounces) sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon nonfat yogurt
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE TOPPING
2/3 cup (4.625 ounces) granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
Grated zest of 1 large lemon, preferably from an organic or unsprayed fruit
1/2 cup strained lemon juice, preferably from an organic or unsprayed fruit
1/4 cup (1.125 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)

EQUIPMENT
An 8-inch square metal baking pan, the bottom and all 4 sides lined with foil. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven.

Directions
To Make the Crust
Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda in a small bowl and mix together thoroughly with a whisk or fork.
In a medium mixing bowl with an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy. Add the sugar and beat at high speed for about 1 minute, or until the mixture begins to form a mass. Beat in the egg yolk, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Scrape the bowl and beater. Knead the mixture briefly with your hands to be sure all of the flour is incorporated.
Press the dough evenly into the pan. Prick it all over with a fork. If the pan is lightweight, place it on a baking sheet to prevent the crust from burning on the bottom. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the surface is deep golden brown.

To Make the Topping
While the crust is baking, whisk the sugar with the eggs and the egg white until well blended. Grate the lemon zest directly into the bowl. Whisk in the lemon juice. Whisk in the flour.
When the crust is brown, turn the oven temperature down to 300°F. Slide the rack with the pan out and pour the topping over the hot crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until it barely jiggles when you shake the pan gently back and forth. Cool on a rack. Chill before cutting into squares.
Serve cold (my favorite) or at room temperature, dusted with powdered sugar. May be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 or 3 days.

Servings: 2 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: Holiday Cookies 2010 Martha Stewart

Ingredients
Chocolate Brownies:
1/2 cup unsalted butter
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chopped
1 1/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

Cream Cheese
4 ounces softened cream cheese
2 tablespoons softened butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 Tablespoons flour

Directions
Butter an 8 inch square baking pan, line with parchment, leaving a 2-inch overhang on 2 sides. Butter parchment. Whisk to combine flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt in a bowl.

Melt butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and cool. Add sugar; stir to combine. Add eggs, and mix to combine. Stir in flour mixture just until moistened. Do not over mix.

Prepare cream cheese mixture in a separate bowl.

Alternately spoon brownie batter and cream-cheese mixture into pan; with the tip of a paring knife, swirl to marble.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center should come out with only a few crumbs. Cool in pan or wire rack for 30 minutes.

Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 days. I suggest that you freeze them so you don’t eat all of them.

Servings: 4 doz
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
Bring a batch of these bars to an office party and everyone will ask you for the recipe. Even better, it takes only a few minutes to assemble.

Ingredients
13 oz. (1½ cups plus 2 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature; more for the pan
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 lb. (3½ cups) all-purpose flour
7½ oz. hazelnuts, toasted and chopped (1 2/3 cups)
2 cups raspberry preserves

Directions
Heat the oven to 350ºF. Butter a 9X13-inch baking pan. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the flour and mix just enough to incorporate. Add the hazelnuts and mix until just blended.

Press about two-thirds of the mixture into the prepared pan. Spread with the raspberry preserves and then crumble the remaining dough on top. Bake until the top is lightly browned, about 1 hour. Put the pan on a rack to cool. Cut the bars into even 1½ -inch squares.

Servings: 16
Source: The Best of Fine Cooking Cookies #23
These are some of the chewi­est blondies we know, with a great toasted pecan-praline flavor. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you’ve got a full-fledged dessert.

Ingredients
¼ lb. (½ cup) unsalted butter; more for the pan
1 ½ cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
1 ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract
5 oz. (1 cup plus 2 Tbs.) all­-purpose flour
Scant ¼ tsp. table salt
2 oz. pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped (3/4 cup)

Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat the butter and brown sugar, stir­ring frequently, until the sugar has dissolved. Cook, stirring, about 1 minute longer-the mixture will bubble but should not boil. Set the pan aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, butter an 8-inch square pan, line the pan bottom with parchment (or waxed paper), and then butter the parchment.

Stir the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla into the cooled sugar mixture. Add the flour, salt, and nuts, stirring just until blended. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the center is springy when touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. Do not overbake. Start checking at 25 minutes.

Set the pan on a rack until it’s cool enough to handle. Run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then invert the pan onto a flat surface and peel off the parchment. Flip the blondie back onto the rack and let cool completely. Cut into squares with a sharp knife.

Servings: 12
Preheat: 350°
Source: Fine Cooking No. 23 Best of Fine Cooking
If you use a metal pan, the edges of these brownies will be flat and the texture will be even. If you use a Pyrex baking pan, your brownies will have puffier, drier edges.

Ingredients
6 oz. (¾ cup) unsalted butter, cut into six pieces; more for the pan
2 oz. (2/3 cup) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 2/3 cups granulated sugar
¼ tsp. table salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4½ oz. (1 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ lb. very coarsely chopped semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (¾ cup)
2 oz. (½ cup) coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350ºF. Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 8-inch-square Pyrex or metal baking pan.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Off the heat, add the cocoa. Whisk until smooth. Add the sugar and salt and whisk until blended. Add 1 egg and whisk until just blended. Whisk in the vanilla and the second egg until just blended. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until just blended. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until combined.

Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and spread evenly. Scatter the nuts evenly over the batter, if using. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with small, gooey clumps of brownie sticking to it, 33 to 38 minutes. Don’t overbake or the brownies won’t be fudgy. Transfer the baking dish to a rack and let cool completely.

Run a knife around the edges of the brownie and then lift it from the pan in one piece. Using a sharp knife, cut the cooled brownie into three equal strips and cut each strip into four equal pieces. Or, use a bench scraper to cut the brownie in the baking pan and then use a spatula to lift out the cut brownies. The cooler the brownie is, the cleaner the cutting will be, but these fudgy brownies will always leave some sticky crumbs on the knife

Servings: —
Preheat: 350°
Source: From the International Cookie Cookbook by Nancy Baggett
There are many versions of this super-rich bar cookie around the United States today. Some recipes specify cutting the bars into diamonds, others into squares or rectangles. In this version, the cookies are thinnish rectangles with a narrow end dipped in a glossy chocolate glaze.

Ingredients

SHORTBREAD
3/4 cup all-purpose or unbleached white fiour
I tablespoon granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 CUP (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1-to 1 ½ tablespoons light cream

PECAN TOPPING
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
½ cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon light cream
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

CHOCOIATE GIAZE
1 ½ ounces semisweet chocolate
1 ½ ounce unsweetened chocolate
2 teaspoons solid vegetable shortening
1 teaspoon honey

Directions
To prepare shortbread, thoroughly stir together flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or forks until the’mixture resembles coarse meal. Add I tablespoon cream and toss until well distributed and dough begins to bind together when pressed into a ball. If necessary, add more cream by teaspoons until a dough forms, but do not overmoisten. (Alternatively, combine dry ingredients and butter in food processor bowl fitted with a steel blade and process in on/ off pulses until the mixture resembles coarse meal, being careful not to overprocess. Add I tablespoon cream and process in on/off pulses until dough begins to hold together. Add a bit more cream if needed to bind dough, but do not overmoisten.)

Turn dough into an ungreased 8-inch square baking pan and press out toward edges to form a smooth, evenly thick layer.

Place in the center of the oven and bake for 12 minutes. Remove shortbread from oven and set aside to cool slightly.

To prepare the pecan topping, spread pecans in a large baking pan and toast, stirring several times for 5 to 6 minutes. Place butter in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat and heat until melted and bubbling. Simmer over medium heat for 2 minutes, adjusting heat if necessary and being careful not to burn butter. Stir in brown sugar, honey, and granulated sugar. Stirring frequently, bring mixture to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat. Add toasted pecans, cream, and vanilla and stir until well combined. (The proportion of nuts to sugar-butter mixture will seem high but it is correct.) Spread pecan mixture evenly over shortbread.

Return to the oven and bake at 350° for 20 to 22 minutes, or until topping is bubbly and golden brown. Remove baking pan from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool to warm before cutting. (If dough is too warm when cut bars will be crumbly; if it’s too cool, it will be too firm to cut easily, so check frequently.)

Carefully cut into 16 equal squares with a sharp knife. Then, cut squares in half to form rectangular bars. Using a spatula, transfer bars to a wire rack set over a sheet of waxed paper.

To prepare glaze, combine semisweet and unsweetened chocolate, solid shortening, and honey in a small, heavy saucepan and warm over low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted and runny; be careful not to burn. Working quickly before glaze cools and stiffens, dip one narrow end of each bar into glaze. Return bars to rack and let stand for at least 45 minutes, or until the glaze sets.

Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to a week. Bars may be frozen if desired. Keep refrigerated after thawing.

Makes 32 2-by-l-inch bars.